temperatures in some areas dropping into the ngle digits, plus high winds tearing apart tents at a flea market. we're tracking it all. on alert, the president meeting with his security team amid heightened security concerns. his message to the country as americans get set to celebrate thanksgiving. new this morning video just released showing the moments before a teeeenager washot and killed in chicago. plus, what we're learning about the officer chged with murder. and, yes, it is tuturkey day the president pardons two lucky birds. plus, out of this world. what are they eating in space for the holiday? and the thanksgiving fails that, well, you just have to see. hey there, good thursday morning and a happy thanksgiving. a weather system will create hazardous weather conditions for millions of americans this holiday season. >> yeah, so let's get right to

rain, ice and snow stretching from nevada to minnesota, this all heading east just in time for the busy travel weekend. >> take a look at this time lapse in utah just north of salt lake city, the snow falling as the sun sets. several inches expected there. >> and in northern california at least 11 people injured after high winds blew tents over at a flea market. look at that. accuweather's justin povick is tracking it all for us, good morning and happy thanksgiving, justin. >> good morning to you, as well, reena and kendis. and happy thanksgiving. we're tracking heavy rain, we're tracking ice and even snow. i'll tell you, no shortage of stories to talk about with regards to the weather on this thursday. a strong storm system smack dab right in theenter portion of the country, and we have our hands full here with hea rain. i think there's going to be some more flooding today, tonight and also into friday as warm, moist air continues to rise to the north and, again, it's in the same areas that had the flooding just a couple of weeks ago, oklahoma city and also southbound toward dallas. north and eastbound, as well. i'm inking a general 4 to 7

inches of rain, slippery conditions with ice more so from kansas city to amarillo. reena and kendis, back to you. >> all right, quite a busy weather weekend so far. thanks, justin. well, the white house is offering reassurance looking to ease anxiety as millions of americans gathther for tnksgiving today. less thatwo weeks after the attacks on paris. >> and president obama says they'r're doing erything possible to keep the country safe while insisting they're not aware of any specific terror threats. with more, here's abc's stephanie ramos. >> reporter: terror and the holidays, not what we want to think about. president obama with his top security advisers standing by his side says officials are working overtime and without a break for the holidays to keep americans safe adding -- >> we know of no specific and credible intelligence indicating a plot on the homeland. >> reporter: with millions of americans expected to travel by railways, highways and air, the president trying to decrease fe s about terror threats.

know tt are taking every possible step to keep our homeland safe. >> reporter: doing so with more police officers at airports and train stations. homela security authorities call it a reinforcement of existing security but not all travelers are reassured. >> him s saying th doesn't make me feel more at ease. >> reporter: others not letting fears control their travel plans. >> be scared by it a and let i ruin your life, then you'll all be, you know, in a house somewhere hiding. >> reporter: in new york city, the macy's thanksgiving day parade floats and balloons prepped for the big strut down city streets with thousands of officers set to patrol the parade route including 1300 counterterrorism officers. new york city mayor bill de blasio and the nypd saying enjoy the parade while they do their job to protect. >> we have to stand our ground, continue with our lives, continue going about our business. >> repororter: in shington, stephanie ramos, abc news. and overseas british prime minister david cameron is addressing parliament this

morning seeking support for stepped up bombing attacks against isis. at follows an ovoverwhelmi vote by french lawmakers to extend air strikes against the terror group well into 2016, and german chancellor angela merkel is promising more help for france saying it will do everything possible to prevent attacks like those that devastat paris nearly two weeks ago. today the french president, by the way, is in moscow to discuss the terror fight with vladimir putin. and there are several new developments in the downing of that russian jet over syria or turkey. iran now blames turkey for increasing tensions in the region saying that the jet was inyrian airspace. turkey denies that and says it gave the pilots several warnings before opening fire. thnavigator of the russian jet says that he was given no such warning and that the plane never veered into turkish airspace. another night of protests in chicago over the death of a black teenager shot by a police officer 16 times. newly released dash cam video

shows 17-year-old laquan mcdonald running from the officer who would gun him down moments later. police now facing questions because no voices can be heard, but they're blaming it on technical difficulties denying allegations of tampering. president obama weighing in on the shooting on facebook posting he was deeply disturbed by the footage. meanwhile, we're learning about a string of complaints lodged against the officer who pulled the trigger. here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: those new details on chicago police officer jason van dyke's past. according to civilian watchdog group invisible institute, at least 20 citizen complaints filed against van dyke since he joined the force in 2001 including allegations of using excessive force and racial slurs but so far, van dyke has not been disciplined. and we are also learning more about what officials claimed happened theheight of the shooting back in october of last year when they were responding to a call of a man with a knife breaking into cars.

officer. >> reporter: but investigators now say that dash cam video shows laquan mcdonald never threatened van dyke and, in fact, was walking away when van dyke shot him 16 times in 15 seconds. state's attorney anita alvarez facing criticism for investigating the case nearly a year before chaing van dyke with first degree murder and responding to allegations officers deleted surveillance video from a nearby burger king the night of the incident. >> it doesn't appear that they've been tampered with and did not reveal, you know, any of that kind of evividence. >> reporter: a district manager for the chain telling abc news the investigators did tamper with the video files. van dyke's defense argues he feared for his life when he opened fire. alex perez, abc news, chicago. the u.s. air strike that killed 30 people at a hospital in afghanistan is being blamed primarily on human error. a number of soldiers and airmen have been suspended accused of

violating rules of engagement and could face furtrther disclinary action. they were supposed to bomb a taliban compound, but the nearby hospital was mistakenly hit because a crew was too far away and the targeting gear was not working proply. pope francis is in kenya this morning, the first stop on a three-country african visit. thousands of kenyans braved the rain for an outdoor mass at the university of nairobi. during the service pope francis issued a strong appeal for traditional family values. the pope's security is a concern on this trip, but when asked if he was worried, he smiled and said what scares him thehe most are the mosquitoes. he's always got a good sense of humor. >> yeah, good outlook. well, now to a white house tradition you might say is just for the birds. eachch year thpresident pards a turkey, and this year's turkeys are honest and abe. >> president obama says america is the land of second chances but he admits it was a close call. >> i cfess that honest looks like good eating, but this is a democracy.

abe is now a free bird. he is totus, the turkey of t united states. [ laughter ] >> the president joked about this being his seventhth turkey pardon saying time flies even if turkeys don't, a line sasha and malia emed to like. >> there were a lot of dad jokes. all ribht, well, still ahead, a source of the costco e. coli scare has been discovered. and breaeaking overnight, new details about the baby left in a nativity scene. investigators finding the mother. what's next for her? plus, struggling with

did to frank gifford's health. dash cam video showing a

wild high-speed chase near new york city. speeds were as high as 110 miles an hour, and when police tried to slow it down, the murder suspect went into oncoming traffic and sped through a gas station. but it was the infamous new jersey turnpike that did him in. the fugitive got stuck at a toll plaza. there were no injuries. well, it's the end of a tradition at west point, no more llow fights after the fight last summer that left 30 injured. the battles seen as a a way to build friendship at the beginning of the first year at the military academy, but some cadets were apparently stuffing hard objects into the pillowcases. the events were never officially sanctioned, but now they're ofcially banned. new details in the costco e. coli outbreak from chicke salad blamed apparently on the veggies. testing points to a problem with the onion and celery mix. the salad sickened at least 19 people in 7 states, but costco uses the same vegetable supplier nationwide, so that number is likely to grow. and business is expected to

be brisk today at companies that promise to bring wine, turkeys and fings right to your door within an hour or so, saucy, drizzly y and thiry are start-ups that deliver alcohol. amaz will deliver bien but only in seattle. instacart will deliver otother groceries. if you'd rather walk off some of those calories, toys "r" us and best buy open at 5:00. target, macy's and sears at 6:00. but the black friday deals don't start until 6:00 in the morning. >> i prefer doing everything by ipad. >> just do it online. there we are, swipe. when we come back, caught on camera, a robber creeping around a bedroom with a person sleeping nearby. plus, throwing bags and cheering.

act.esia, which may cause muscle problems. other serious side effects may occur, including slow heartbeat and fainting; increased stomach acid,

which may raise the chance of ulcers and bleeding; nausea and vomiting; difficulty passing urine, seizures, and worsening of lung problems. the most common side effects associated with namzaric are headache, diarrhea, dizziness, loss of appetite, and bruising. woman: mom and i share a lot of moments. and we're making the most of each one. vo: ask your doctor if new namzaric is right for your loved one. travelers across california's sierra nevada might disagree, but the snow is actually a welcome sight. 6 inches fell in 24 hours, the precipitation california really needs. it's also a delight for skiers and snowboarders, resort operators as well who have been >> the snowy driving conditions have moved east into the roads will be icy from eastern new mexico to minnesota and wet for most of texas to wisconsin. roads may also be wet in south florida. if you're flying, delays

kansas city and minneapolis. well, the family of football great and abc broadcaster frank gifford is revealing some new details about his death. >> gifford suffered from a kind of brain trauma associated with repeated hits to the head. abc's ryan smith has the details. >> reporter: he was a gridiron hall of famer. >> sends frank gifford flying -- >> reporter: an icon in the broadcast booth. >> hello again, everyone. frank gifford with al michaels and dan dierdorf. >> reporter: announcing "monday night football" for 27 years, married nearly 29 years to his wife kathie lee. his family revealed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, cte, caused by repeated hard hits to the head. cte detectable only after death. a team of pathologists just now diagnosing gifford after he died of natural causes at the age of 84.

gifford, no stranger to big hits suffering one of the year's most famous head injuries in 1960s. knocked unconscious in a game. carried out on a stretcher. cte has been discovered in numerous players like hall of famer junior seau who took his own life. ryan smith, abc news, new york. a mother who left her newborn baby in the nativity scene of a new york church will not be charged. the baby boy was discovered by a custodian lying in a manger there, and the mother came back the e xt day to make sure that he had been found. new york has a safe havelaw th allows people to anonymously drop off newborns at a church, hospital, police or fire station. a new york family is in shock after waking up to find a man crawling on their bedroom floor with a knife between his teeth. security cameras caught the burglar skulking around the house for about a half an hour there before he entered a bedroom where the homener was actually asleep. he snatched a cell phone and then took off when the homeowner woke up. so far it's unclear how the man

baggage handlers at san jose's airport playing a game of toss the suitcase? a passenger complained to southwest airlines, but it says check out the uniforms there. they don't belong to southwest. alaska airlis did step up to the plate saying those are their employees, but the airline claims that the bag was a dummy filled with magazines. well, time now for sports. the 76ers have reached a dubious mark with yet another loss. >> yeah, they're number one at something. here with the details, our guys at espn. >> america, good morning. up and cooking are you? jay harris, kenny mayne, cooking with spos, lots of good stuff on this thanksgiving. >> just throw butter all over that turkey and bake at like 600. here we go. sixers not baking, not cooking, not doing anying, losing yet again against the celtics. what are they going to do? whever they're going to do, they're not very well. celtics rip it off. jae crowder wants a three. >> yeah!

celtics take the two-point lead on that. and d the sixe are in trouble. sixers have a last chance, 11 1 secondnds to go. phil pressey -- >> no relation. >> h-uh, none. stepback, not good. they've lost 16 in a row. 26 in n a row gog back to last season. cavaliers and raptors on drake night in toronto. the raptors' ambassador. and lowry took over. >> guarded near the bottom. >> now we hear. lowry for three and drake loving it. sitting next to his mom. later in the fourth, lowry driving to the basket. the lay-in he's going to get and one. cavaliers call a players only meeting after this game. lebron was like, come on, y'all, we got to do better than this. lowry going to use the screen and drops it off to bismack biyombo.

lowry with 27. raptors win 103-99. just laughing with drake. >> final score for the capitals beat the jets. >> happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving to you too. up next in "the pulse" celebrating in space, astronauts showing what they're eating for thanksgiving. > plus, bued turkeys and mangled pies. ah, thanksgiving fails going viral. if there was another way to look at relapsing multiple sclerosis? this is tecfidera. tecfidera is not an injection. it's a pill for relapsing ms that has the power to cut relapses in half. imagine what you could do with fewer relapses. tecfidera may cause serious side effects, such as allergic reactions, pml, which is a rare brain infection that usually leads to death or severdisability, and decreases in your white blood cells. the most common side effects are flushing and stomach problems. tell yr doctor about any low white blood cell counts, infections, any other medical conditions, or if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant,

or a are breaseeding or plan to breastfeed. learn more about the most prescribed pill for relapsing ms in the us, at tecfidera.com. talk to your doctor about tecfidera, and take another look

a special "pulse" on this thanksgiving morning beginningng with a literally out of the world holiday meal. >> yeah, we're talk ging about the crew on board the international space station. commander scott kelly and flight engineer kjell lindgren showed off their version of the traditional holiday meal. >> i'm going t to have t -- the candied yams. they're -- man, they are delicious.

>> is tough.h. >> happy, happy thanksgiving, everybody. >> ah, nothing like some candied yams you have to squeeze out like toothpast >> yuck. >> well, they will take the whole day off watching some football and enjoying their one-of-a-kind view of earth. at least they haveve that, rht? >> they do and they'll wash it down witith some tg, no doubt. magazines and the internet are full of beautiful pictures of turkeys cooked to perfection, but if your reality falls short, take heartnot alone. >> maybe the football game was a little too much exciting forhe ef. didn't hear the timer, but we know this bird is cooked thoroughly. >> yes, it is. okay, so that's some dark meat there. this o one looksike a terrifying sea creature. eat it before it eats you. >> yeah, don't forget that cooked turkeys are not supposed to fly, folks. >> that's weird. >> okay, i don't think we're going to see this. that's a flying turkey, right? weird.

see this carrot cake in any pillsbury ads in he time soon. >> i think you're right, andnd here's a tip. make sure the oven shelves are in the grooves before you put the pie on them. but the real fail comes tomorrow when you actually step on the scale, fololks. >> that, yeah, you have to stay off the instagram selfies for a little while. and what would a holiday "pulse" be without our favorite pictures fromom awardfamilyphotos.com? >> of course, this is a thanksgiving ee division. one captioned smoked turkey with two guys with cigaret ss preparing the turkey. this one called no thanks. you can see the look of joy on their faces. >> and this group apparently thought thanksgiving was a perfect time for our family portit complete with native american outfits. >> oh, boy. >> ouch. >> stay with us. more news after this. you havewo choices; the easy way or the hard way. you could choose a card that limits where you earn bonus cash back. or, you could make things easier on yourself. that's right,

the quicksilver card from capital one. with quicksilver you earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everyere. so, let's try this again. what's in your wallet? you get used to sweaty odors in your car you think it smells fine, but your passengers smell this... eliminate odors you've gone noseblind to for up to 30 days with the febreze car vent clip break out the febreze, and [inhale/exhale mnemonic] breathe happy. just about anywhere you use sugar, you can e splenda ... ...no calorie sweetener. splenda lets you experience... ...the joy of sugar... ...without all the calories.

the holidays bring many challenges to the feet. by day they must stay warm. but by night, beautiful, smoother and ready to impress the other party animals. dr. scholl's dreamwalk express pedi. checking our top stories, new dash cam footage shows a chicago police officer pursuing 17-year-old laquan mcdonald momoments bere he gunned him down.

with the video. president obama trying to reassure the public saying there is no specific intelligence about a terror plot. he says theyey're doineverything possible to keep the country safe while urging everyone to carry on as usual. 11 people were injured when a sudden strong gust of wind blew through a flea market in northern california. luckily, many people had already left for the day. all injuries were minor. as for today's weather, beautiful in theast. heavy rain though from texas up to the great lakes. freezing rain from new mexico to minnesota and heavy snow in the northern rockies and cascades. well, finally from us, some expert advice on cooking the perfect turkey. >> earlier we called the butterball hot line and asked our expert marge clindara about the three things you need to know before putting that bird in the oven todayay. >> well, the best thing is to have a meat thermometer because then you can monitor exactly when the turkey's done. it will not overcook that way

you dry meat, and so a meat thmometer is really important and i know it's a little late to get one at this point. >> yeah. >> but and going back to, all right, say i've caught the turkey and it's still frozen, and it's still frozen at this point, is it too late to defrost it and still make it in time for dinner? >> probably unless you only have two-pound turkey. it takes 30 minutes per pound to defrost in cool water, so, you know, a 20-pound bird, you're ing to have to 10 hours before you will defrost it. if it's still frozen at this point, you really can't cook from frozen. it's just -- it's a little harder to determine when it's going to be done, and it won't cook as evenly, but, you know, worst comes to worst, you'll have to do it that way. >> okay, and what's better, stuffing inside in the cavity or outside? >> it's really a personal

i like mine inside the bird, but you do have a few cautions, and one is, don't make your stuffing ahead so that you're putting cold stuffing inside the bird or it won't getet done. rather, , you can t all your ingredients ready if you're cooking some part of the ingrients, do that, and refrigerate that, but don't mix it with the crumbs till it's just readyo go into the ovenen. >> so there you have it. >> she had good advice. >> yeah. >> i did ask her for the pizza hut hot line. >> just incase. >> just in case for some of us that aren't so grade. before we go, one final look at preparations for the big parade. >> 3 million peoplare expected to line the streets of manhattan in a for the macy' thanksgiving day parade and the balloons are ready to fly, look at them. beautiful sight. have a great thanksgiving.team. good morning iowa starts now " elias: good morning iowa! i'm ???.

it's x:00 a-m on thursday